Serial Killers

With Greg Polcyn & Vanessa Richardson

About Serial Killers

Every Monday, Serial Killers takes a psychological and entertaining approach to provide a rare glimpse into the mind, methods and madness of the most notorious serial killers with the hopes of better understanding their psychological profile. With the help of real recordings and voice actors, we delve deep into their lives and stories. Ad-free archives of episodes six months or older are now available through Stitcher Premium.

A chance meeting with child killer Gary Marcoux inspired Olson Jr. to commit his own string of murders. What measures would law enforcement have to take to identify and locate the victims of his crimes?

After his release from prison, Olson Jr. would go on a vicious killing spree and ultimately be convicted of eleven murders. Why would somebody who didn’t have a violent past suddenly turn into a monster?

What if you picked out a book at the library and found a taunting note to police from a serial killer? As the BTK Killer, he loved when the media gave him attention. But his need for attention would also be his downfall and eventually lead to his capture.

By all accounts, he was a loving family man, Scoutmaster, and church leader. None of his family members or colleagues ever suspected that he was also a sadistic killer. His M.O. was simple. He would bind, torture, and kill his victims. And that’s how Dennis Rader got his nickname.

Fred and Rose each came from abusive homes and each showed signs of being abusive as they became adults. But together, they would start a new life and collectively be responsible for nine murders over a span of decades.

Fred and Rose each came from abusive homes and each showed signs of being abusive as they became adults. But together, they would start a new life and collectively be responsible for nine murders over a span of decades.

From the years 1969 to 1981, a serial killer known as the Yorkshire Ripper freely roamed the streets of Yorkshire, England. Police were so determined to find him, they interviewed over 250,000 people. Sutcliffe had been brought in for questioning on nine separate occasions and each time he walked out a free man. How would they eventually catch him?

Serial killer Peter Sutcliffe claimed he was directed by voices of God to kill innocent women. Naturally, he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the charges that he slaughtered over a dozen women. Was his psychosis real or did he develop a deep hatred of women in childhood?

This is a crossover special with the hosts of Serial Killers and Female Criminals.

Dorothea Puente didn’t set out to become Sacramento, California’s most notorious female serial killer. But she did have a criminal streak that grew more sinister, culminating in the deaths of almost a dozen residents of the boarding house she ran. How was she able to evade detection from family members and social workers? And how did she get away with her first murder?

Listen to part 2 AD FREE now on the Female Criminals feed. Part 2 will not be on the Serial Killers feed. thanks!

From the summer of 1976 through the summer of 1977, David Berkowitz went on a year long killing spree that terrorized the New York City boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. Young women with dark hair were being targeted and anybody near them was in harms way. Find out how David Berkowitz got his nickname “Son of Sam” and how he was ultimately caught by police.

Plagued by the voices of monsters and demons since adolescence, serial killer David Berkowitz set over a thousand small fires throughout his youth and early adulthood. But his later involvement in devil worship and the occult, paired with his deep hatred for women, ultimately led him down the gruesome path to murder.

Like many serial killers, Maury Travis became over-confident. In the summer of 2002, after reading a story in the newspaper about one of his victims, he mailed a letter to the local newspaper offering them information on the location of another. He was careful not to leave any fingerprints or DNA evidence before mailing it, so how did they track him down?

There was no evidence in Maury Travis’ childhood of arson or animal abuse, often seen as early warning signs for serial killers. He didn’t appear to have been a victim of abuse from either of his parents. So what made this seemingly normal kid turn into a man who would rape, torture and murder as many as twenty women?

Amy Archer-Gilligan owned and operated a home for elderly residents in Windsor, Connecticut, but fell deeply into debt. Over time, she developed a deadly business model - stealing money from residents, then poisoning them - ultimately killing more than two dozen victims over a two-year span.

Amy Archer-Gilligan opened a nursing home in Connecticut in 1907. By portraying herself as a kind and religious woman, she was able to recruit new residents. She was beloved in her neighborhood which is exactly why nobody suspected that she was a cold, calculated killer.

In the summer of 1980, Carol Bundy helped Douglas Clark sexually assault a young girl and murder over a half-dozen women. Her extreme desire to please Clark evolved into a murderous partnership, and finally a killer in her own right.

After years of abuse as a child at the hands of her parents, Carol Bundy suffered through the same fate as an adult at the hands of various boyfriends. When she met Douglas Clark, she thought things would be different. But he had dark sexual fantasies and she would do anything to stay with him. Even kill.

Luis Garavito was born in Colombia in 1957 to an abusive, alcoholic father and a time of civil unrest. At the age of sixteen, Garavito was kicked out of the house. This sparked a transient lifestyle and murder spree during which Garavito raped, tortured, and murdered over one hundred victims.

The stress of losing four children mysteriously in their sleep ended the marriage between Kathleen Folbigg and her husband Craig. While cleaning out her belongings, Craig stumbled across something alarming. Was it enough to prove that his children were murdered?

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